In the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Chelsea 5-2 at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s devastating late brace was a major factor in the defending champions’ hard-fought victory.
After completing a skillfully executed team move, Bradley Barcola opened the scoring in the tenth minute. Enzo Fernandez found Malo Gusto on the right side of the pitch, and he scored a strong close-range goal in the 28th minute to equalise for Chelsea. Ousmane Dembélé’s outstanding solo effort, however, gave PSG the lead again prior to halftime, making it 2-1.
Before the hour mark, Enzo Fernandez tied the score for Chelsea once more thanks to a brilliant counterattack from Pedro Neto. However, in the 74th minute, keeper Filip Jorgensen made a costly mistake, giving Vitinha the chance to lob home PSG’s third goal, and from there the floodgates opened.
Speaking to TNT Sports on the touchline prior to the game, Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior expressed confidence in his team’s capacity to compete in Paris.
“When we play our football, we’re a problem for any team we face. We know they have strengths, but I’m sure that Luis Enrique and his staff will know about our strengths as well.”
The Blues, who showed spirit to equalise twice but ultimately collapsed in the final moments, now feel the painful sting of those words.
Kvaratskhelia Demonstrates That He Is PSG’s Greatest Champions League Weapon
After Désiré Doué was responsible for Chelsea’s second equaliser, Kvaratskhelia was brought in from the bench. With a thunderous curling strike past Jorgensen in the 86th minute and a clinical fifth from Achraf Hakimi’s cutback in stoppage time, the Georgian winger had little time to make a devastating impact.
The 25-year-old has a well-established Champions League history, having been a major contributor to PSG’s victory the previous season, including scoring in the match against Inter Milan. Kvaratskhelia is now a true big-game performer, as evidenced by his brace against Chelsea, which brought his total to nine in the Champions League alone.
Chelsea now face a three-goal deficit in order to maintain their European dream when they host PSG at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, March 17.